Understudy issue

In a letter (July 13) in The Times regarding Ed Waterstreet, Deaf West Theatre’s artistic director, stepping in for an injured actor in previews of Deaf West’s co-production of “Big River” at the Roundabout Theatre in New York, Preston Neal Jones asks, “Why had there been no understudy under contract and rehearsed to go on?”

His question is valid and I can provide information in response. In fact, there was an understudy under contract, but since the injury to the actor happened during the second preview performance, the understudy had not yet been rehearsed in the various roles performed by the injured actor. Complicating this fact is that the injury happened at a matinee and with no time for a put-in rehearsal, there was a real risk of that evening’s show being canceled. Most of the roles performed by the injured actor were in fact able to be performed by his understudy from the first missed performance on. However, a pantomime bit at the end of the play would not have been possible for him to execute without the benefit of rehearsal. Roundabout Theatre management communicated with the Actors Equity Assn. and was granted an exemption to allow Waterstreet to perform in place of the injured actor for the remainder of the first week’s performances to allow time for the understudy to rehearse and prepare.

Bill O’Brien

Los Angeles

Bill O’Brien is the producing director for the Deaf West Theatre.